[ale] Re: UPS thread

[tfreeman at intel.digichem.net]

If memory serves, we have hit this topic once or twice before. 'Couple of 
whimpers/nits/whatever. 

One of the other posters has wondered why modern devices don't carry 
enough reserve capacitance to survive a 30 sec power blip. IMHO, I suspect 
that weight and upfront cost are the culprits - if your vcr is too heavy, 
Ms. Consumer will not lug same home, and if there is a 2% premium charge, 
Mr. Consumer will skip over to something less costly upfront. After all, 
resetting the clock and channels every week or so doesn't cost any money 
8-).

I rather like to see a home UPS based on flywheel technology. Fewer toxins 
to deal with at the end of life cycle (although recycling lead batteries 
seems to have gotten much better lately) for one thing, and I suspect 
longer service life for flywheels. Also, a flywheel should 
charge/discharge at higher rates without damage indefinitely.

With respect to battery concepts, I'd love to see some Li ion cells 
adapted to the computer/electronic power supply. In addition to fewer 
toxics at the end of the life cycle, they can be produced as fibers, 
meaning that part of the case could be molded from the battery. (Wonder if 
there is a way to incorporate a battery as part of the Motherboard circuit 
board?) Put a largish capacitor early in the power supply to buffer 
circuits from a local surge, while hanging 2-4 minutes of Li ion batteries 
off the low voltage DC side to allow for an orderly shut down. The trick 
would be getting the consumer to pay for such.

Since the general consumer seems unlikely to pay for such niceties, any of 
the engineering types here have leads on building your own power supplies 
and/or UPSs? I'm probably too lazy to do either, but the knowledge of the 
technology would be of interest anyway.

-- 
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